Umarete Yokatta
by MariekoWest
Summary: Independent side stories of Gohan & Piccolo's married life from my DragonBallRetro Universe. May also feature unrevealed backstories, teaser snippets from unpublished stories, random & plotless domestic smuff, and adventures of their children: Azalea Apricot (OC), Tulip Tangerine (OC) & Poppy Periwinkle (OC). (Warning: BL/Yaoi Domestic Lime & Lemon/Smut! sprinkled everywhere!)
1. Homecoming

**Notes** : "Umarete Yokatta" 【生まれてよかった】- 'I'm glad you were born'.

 **Warnings:** Mostly Fluff, Smut (in later chapters), Yaoi/Shounen-ai, Canon Overhaul, Interspecies Romance, Married Life, Expletives, Random Stories

 **Disclaimer:** **Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Xenoverse/Super/etc.** belong to their respective owners. **Dragon Ball Retro,** however, is my derivative brainchild, created for my personal pleasure  & sublimation. I own nothing except this derivative fanwork which I do not profit from.

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Story #20:

 **"Umarete Yokatta"**

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I do my thing and you do your thing.  
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,  
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.  
You are you, and I am I,  
And if by chance we find each other,  
It's beautiful.

-F.S. Perl

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 **"Homecoming"  
** (How Gohan & Piccolo's daughter Tulip Daimaoh Son and her grandmother Chi-chi meet for the very first time.)

 **-x-**

When Tulip Daimaoh Son was born on Ersatz Earth, Gohan and Piccolo thought that she was a "he".

Sharing a perfect balance of physiological attributes of both parents; one half human-half Super Saiyajin and one Super Namek of a rare hybrid species but both technically male, they simply presumed that they could only have male offspring.

Based on the child's anatomy alone, it was almost impossible to tell at such a young age. Her genitals were Namekian, meaning whatever predominant gender she was meant to have would be hidden beneath a layer of protective skin and would only become visible when needed in her sexual developmental years. Other than that, she had androgynous features like most very young children, long untamed hair echoing Gohan's own when he was a toddler, and was garbed in the traditional ***** E2 uniform which didn't lean towards male or female appearances but stayed perfectly neutral; purposely designed that way to steer clear of the temptation of unwanted biases.

Tulip had accelerated her growth at will so that even if she was barely two Earth years old when she did it, she could have passed off as a four-year-old, but one of prodigious intelligence beyond her years and already fluent in the Namekian, Earthian, Saiyajin, and Ersatzian languages even before birth. Of course, being exposed to none other than her parents ninety percent of the time led her to unconsciously emulate their manner of speaking, which in spite of their commendable decorum (most of the time), was still heavily comprised of brusque male jargon, especially in situations when tensions were high. And Tulip did speak very much like Gohan and Piccolo, normally calm and calculating, sometimes loud and hysterical and high-pitched, but her manner was always masculine; from her intonation to her choice of words, simply because that was the only way she knew.

Both her parents couldn't be faulted that Tulip herself grew up in ***** E2 where prejudice of any kind was strictly forbidden; discrimination and restrictions in gender included. The fact that Piccolo was hermaphroditic which made him both her "mother" and "father" at the same time was also nothing out of the ordinary in the said utopia, therefore, she simply didn't think that she needed to be classified and was never oriented on the same grounds of gender differences; a practice only ever given as much emphasis on Earth than in any other sector of the galaxy.

And so, Tulip never knew that by "human standards", she was technically considered female.

 **-x-**

 _"Tulip-kun! Piccolo-sama!"_

Gohan rushed in, mindless with panic and rage. But the moment his foot crossed the threshold of the arena's platform, a wall of solid gravitational energy repels him, throwing him several metres backwards and high up into the air. Pain shot up his spine as his back hit the ground full force but he dismissed it, springing right back to his feet and testily wiping the blood oozing from his nose. He grit his teeth as his violation is instantly registered as a foul and points are automatically docked from his team. The dull ringing in his ears that began when he saw his mate and offspring take a deadly hit just moments ago only seemed to get louder from there.

His barely two-year-old child struggled to stay balanced on wobbly knees as she coughed up and sputtered purple blood; while Piccolo who took the brunt of the concentrated plasma bomb, now lay face down and lifeless on the stage. The longer Gohan watched helpless from the sidelines, the more his irises burned and flooded with luminescent bioelectricity, and with it, the more his power levels spiked.

 _/Warning: Fighter Gohan Son Jr./_

 _/Energy levels exceeding acceptable limit for non-combatants currently outside the battle platform./_

 _/Power down, now./_

"Please, Papa!" Tulip spat out excess blood and saliva. "Don't embarrass us!" was all his child deigned to say, narrowing garnet orbs at her demi-Saiyajin father as she hastily wiped her lips. It snapped Gohan out of mid-ascension more effectively than the AI referee, and his beloved mate and offspring came back into focus through a blurry haze, still locked inside the arena in battle.

Tulip straightened up to all full three feet and two inches of her tiny frame to face their remaining opponents whose menacing faces were already celebrating victory. The tiny Namek-Saiyajin hybrid wasted no time. A ferocious battle cry exploded from her the very next moment which snaps Gohan's fuzzy brain into alertness, his warrior instincts recognizing it only too well as a harbinger of mayhem and destruction. He barely had time to shield his eyes with his arms, as a blinding flash of light followed by a shockwave of immeasurable magnitude expanded outwards from that epicentre, pulsing right through the stage's force field and pushing him back a good several metres, while a huge percentage of the spectators and other fighters on standby were thrown off their seats completely. When the ground had finally stopped rumbling, Gohan looked up again and his jaw fell slack.

 _Tulip had turned Super Saiyajin._

The hulking opponents who were looming over her only moments ago, now lay felled on the far end of the stage. They didn't look like they were going to get back up again. Gohan gaped at Tulip whose entire body was still bathed in golden light, sparking with unspent energy. He had no idea that their child was a Super Saiyajin, and apparently a terrifyingly strong one at that if the enemies were knocked out from Tulip's transformation alone. He could only imagine how much more powerful that ascension must have been at close-range and without the force field dampening it. A sharp buzzer rang out as digits flashed beneath respective images of the opposing team's faces on the screens overhead, Gohan's eyes automatically sought out Piccolo's own stats flashing beside his and Tulip's images. _His Namek had already been motionless on the ground for more than thirty seconds._

"P-Piccolo-sama…" Gohan barely choked out, hot tears prickling his vision as he desperately sought their mental link but not finding it active at all. "H-he's not breathing…!"

"I got this!" Tulip's voice broke through his trance once again, calm and clear despite the raw rage still lacing it. Piccolo was turned over to lie on his back and two tiny hands rested over his chest where a ball of light erupted from the connection, dispersing in a smaller more controlled shockwave. Gohan realized that Tulip had just fired Piccolo's heart with a very precise _kiai_ blast. Almost simultaneously after, his mate sucked in a sharp, raspy intake of air, choking on his first breath after some endless seconds of being technically dead.

By the time Piccolo's coughing fit had subsided, tears were streaming down Gohan's face as he watched his beloved painstakingly get to his feet, his uniform torn in too many places.

"D-don't you two… _dare_ – _ever!_ \- _**scare me like that again!**_ " Piccolo and Tulip flinched.

 _'Gohan,'_ Piccolo's weak voice floated up in his mindscape. 'I told you, I'm not that easy to get rid of.'

"Right!" The half Saiyajin scoffed, eyes blazing. "You were fucking dead-! for a _fucking_ -! _Whole minute!_ So fuck you!"

"That's really mature," Piccolo muttered. "Tulip can hear you cussing."

"Sorry," Gohan exhaled. Then he began to heave uncontrollably, eyes brimming with tears all over again. "It's just that- you were _fucking_ dead! A-and, gods. I was so _fucking_ scared…!"

"Ugh!" Tulip crumpled her face. "Could you guys please hold out on your weird lovey-dovey dorkiness, at least until we're back in our private quarters?!" Only then did the two adults become aware of every monitor in the stadium projecting different angles and close-ups of them and how the audiences were hooked to their compelling exchange like a primetime soap opera.

Gohan bit his lip in an effort to contain the tears as his face flushed, but as soon as the force field was deactivated, Piccolo jumped down and grabbed him into his arms, locking on to his lips in a passionate kiss. Tulip groaned as the scene received a deafening standing ovation and she hurriedly teleported herself away.

 **-x-**

It was when they returned to Earth after an unplanned two-year absence that Chi-chi and the rest of the Z-Senshi family had the pleasure of first meeting Gohan and Piccolo's child. And since she was introduced as "Tulip-kun" (using a male suffix), everyone presumed she was a male, and no one questioned it even if some of them could plainly see that her feminine features stood out.

After Gohan and Piccolo alighted from their craft, everyone who had been waiting for them collectively gasped when a third figure emerged to stand between them –a small child that looked to be around four years of age- with shy brown eyes and vibrant green skin. And somehow, everyone already had a very strong inkling of who the child was, although the 'believing' part was another thing.

Chi-chi, who was on the forefront of the assembly, didn't see the child right away because her eyes were on her son and the Namek. She had been waiting for Gohan since the day he left with Piccolo, in what she interpreted as no less than his "rebellious elopement" with the accursed alien. Both her son and the Namek simply disappeared to some godforsaken location of the universe where no one could follow and no one had any clue as to when they'd come back or if they would even come back at all. It took three years, _three long years_ , of waiting and she was more than prepared to go all levels of ballistic on them both for all the suffering they had put her through. Every single day in two of those three years she cried in anger and heartache, which eventually turned into bitterness and depression, and slowly accrued into one massive death cloud of revenge that had almost completely swallowed up her soul.

If she didn't have Goten to ease and comfort her, she was certain she would have lost her sanity and killed things. First of which, would be any seven-foot tall green aliens that happened to fall within her sights.

The aggrieved woman began to stalk forward ready to unleash all of hell's wrath upon the couple, when she finally noticed what everyone else already did. A child whose eyes reminded her so much of Gohan, eyes which were now wide and blinking up at her in unmistakeable fear, tiny hands reaching out to grab onto each of the two grown-ups flanking her and clutching tightly as she recoiled a little.

Chi-chi's heart stuttered in her chest, her feet stopping dead in its tracks.

Gohan knelt down and smiled at his three-year-old. "Tulip-kun, that beautiful and strong woman right there is my mother, and your grandmother, Chi-chi." When Tulip refused to budge and only clutched onto him tighter, he gently prodded. "I'm sure she would love to meet you, so don't be shy, go ahead and greet her."

"B-but-"

Piccolo tugged at Tulip's connected hand, effectively coaxing her to meet his eyes. He grinned down at her, showing a bit of fang. "Listen, darling. Just walk up to her and give her your best smile. I promise, _she will love you_. No one possibly can't."

The little hybrid looked doubtful but nodded all the same, nervously unhooking herself from both parents to bravely face the small gathering of Earthlings of all shapes and sizes whom Gohan had fondly referred to as her "Z-Senshi" family. Although none of them looked welcoming or even happy to see her at the moment, she steeled her nerves. Even if she practically grew up in the spotlight of one of the grandest stadiums in the whole galaxy packed to the brim with spectators cheering her name all the time- _this, here, now,_ was somehow scarier. These were her Daddy's and Papa's dearest, closest friends, and yet she didn't understand why they all wore what she interpreted to be shocked and quite horror-stricken expressions as they regarded her. Somehow this made showing off her fighting skills in front of a hundred thousand strangers much easier than having to be "likeable" to these people who seemed to have very high expectations of her.

She strived once again to swallow the jitters as she focused on the most important woman of the group first, her grandmother- _Grandma Chi-chi_ … who was still staring at her with an expression that wasn't anything akin to familial recognition at all. Tulip studied the woman curiously, trying to find similarities to her appearance because a quick assessment of them earlier told her that no one in their Earth family looked anything like her or her Daddy Piccolo.

She had green skin like Piccolo but in a lighter somewhat ruddy shade. She had his pointy ears, fangs, and claws –which she rather liked too- his intelligent nose, purple tongue, and too many more features that simply prevented anyone from denying that Piccolo was indeed her parent, which was probably why she gravitated to him a smidgeon more than Gohan. But there was also her unruly hair that was more often than not golden if not jet black, big chestnut-brown eyes that glowed malachite when her hair was gold, her naturally shy and gentle demeanour, and not the least of all, her Saiyajin tail, which though wrapped tightly over her obi at the moment, was all part of the undeniable prevailing evidence of Gohan's genetic contributions.

So as Tulip stared at Chi-chi, she decided then, that the woman _did_ look like her Papa Gohan very much, and this made her take one cautious step forward. (She tried not to notice how that made everyone behind her grandmother seem to freeze up even more.) As she took one more step, she noticed that Chi-chi's unreadable expression was slowly changing. Her hard-set lips began to tremble and eyes that were wild began to soften. By the time she had taken her third step, she thought she saw moisture glistening at the corners of her eyes, but she wasn't sure. _Was her Grandma Chi-chi crying?_ It was then that Tulip saw, how truly similar she looked to her Papa Gohan, and somehow that made her break into a run all of a sudden, to which Chi-chi's arms lifted up towards her with the promise of a warm welcome.

By the time she was right in front of Chi-chi, she was panting a little, more out of trying to calm her surging heartbeat than tiredness, and she snuck one last look at her parents who had been watching her every step. They both smiled at her reassuringly and she gave them a big confident smile of her own, before finally closing the gap and crashing into Chi-chi's arms. The woman was unable to help herself any longer, she enveloped the tiny child completely in a tight hug, hysterical sobs of a mother's joy at being able to embrace her first grandchild crashing down on her like a giant tidal wave. Tulip found her own eyes wet and overflowing for reasons she couldn't understand as she was rained upon with tear-stained kisses and emotional exclamations of joy and love.

By the time Chi-chi had gained enough sense to release the child, everyone else was striving very discreetly to wipe away any evidence of sentimentality from their faces. But a few of them, ironically from the men in the group, ended up bawling and sniffling loudly, some laughing with tears in their eyes, but everyone now all wore warm and welcoming smiles.

Tulip blushed shyly as Chi-chi gently thumbed away the tears from her face before kissing her cheeks again, smiling tenderly as she proceeded to fix her mussed up hair and straighten her clothes that were rumpled from the crushing embrace. But then, Tulip remembered what her parents had taught her, and so she composed herself and stepped back to bow low.

"H-how do you do? My- my name is- T-Tulip Daimaoh Son…" The three-year-old took a deep calming breath, before mustering her best smile and beaming it up at them, at her Papa's mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Grandma Chi-chi. Everyone." She was barely able to finish another small bow before she was grabbed again and enveloped in another lung-crushing hug. And all of a sudden, they were all crowding around her with happy greetings and genuine smiles.

Tulip was so relieved that her Papa and Daddy had been right. That they all seemed to like her already, and she actually began to feel then, that she was _home._

 **-x-**

After a strenuous afternoon of being introduced properly to everyone over tea and snacks in the Son House's front yard, for the most part running around and being fussed over and sparring with Trunks, Goten, Bra, *Larin, and all the others, Tulip was rather sweaty and dirty, and Chi-chi quickly disappeared into the house to prepare her bath.

Kririn -most of all- was too awestruck to even produce anything more coherent than a few mindless utterances for the first few times Tulip came over to meet him, the reality of Gohan and Piccolo's relationship in the form of one strong, beautiful, and very intelligent Namek-Saiyajin-Human hybrid child still too much for him to process in one sitting. But finally, he was able to gather his wits and Tulip bowed politely at him and Eighteen when he was finally ready for proper introductions.

"Wow," the former monk puffed. "Uhh, i-i-it's a pleasure to meet you too, Tulip. Err, you're tall for a three-year-old."

Tulip chuckled at the man's antics, receiving a good-natured laugh from him in return.

"And aren't you the prettiest little thing!" Eighteen commented pinching her cheek -rather forcefully, but not meant in ill will, with Eighteen just being Eighteen.

"Err, Tulip is a boy, right?" Kririn asked, to which Gohan nodded.

"Really? She sure looks like a fine little lady to me." Eighteen remarked, giving her cheek one last emphatic squeeze before letting her go, to which the well-bred young Ersatzian royalty valiantly strove to maintain the polite smile on her face the whole time (even if she really didn't understand Eighteen's comment).

Tulip ambled up to her Daddy Piccolo right after, to have him nurse the throbbing ache in her cheek.

"Mm," Tulip snuggled into Piccolo's neck as his hand hovered lightly over the spot on her face. "Waaaii, so warm! It feels so much better already. Love, love, Daddy!"

Piccolo merely grunted, "Love, love, darling." And he received a lip smack to his cheek as thanks.

But then they both stopped as they caught sight of Gohan's poorly disguised look of distress.

"What's wrong, Papa?"

"Huh? Oh. It's nothing."

"He doesn't like all the smells of everyone on you," Piccolo answered for his husband.

"On me?" And Tulip made to sniff herself. "Well, I do smell funny, now that you mention it."

"It's not that I don't like it, it just makes me feel uneasy," Gohan said. "And it's not the smells on Tulip, it's the smells on Tulip that's transferring to you."

Tulip looked from her Papa Gohan to her Daddy Piccolo. They were staring at each other intently, wordlessly.

"Ugh. You two are talking about weird adult stuff again, aren't you?"

"Piccolo." They all turned at the unmistakeable voice of Vegeta, who had finally approached after merely quietly observing all this time.

The Saiyajin couldn't help but feel the brat's and the Namek's brand new Ki signatures that were significantly more powerful, and the Ki of their offspring, which was not primed enough at the moment to threaten his base instincts, but still- there was something about the brat's brat that was bothering him.

"Vegeta," Gohan and Piccolo nodded at him.

"I see you got busy," Vegeta couldn't resist saying, smirking as his eyes regarded the bundle in Piccolo's arms.

Tulip blinked down at him.

"Tulip-kun," Gohan began. "This is your granduncle. Vegeta. He's the prince of Saiyajins."

"A _real_ prince?" Tulip's eyes bulged.

Gohan nodded.

"Wow…"

"Oh please, brat." Vegeta dismissed, before turning to Piccolo and Tulip. "Clearly your brat is more Namekian than Saiyajin so I don't see why it should matter who I am, other than as you had so aptly put it, a _'granduncle'_."

"Tulip can turn Super," Piccolo made a point to inform him with a cheeky grin. "And probably Oozaru too, since he has a tail," he added smugly, both pokes effectively hitting home base.

"What?!"

"Oh, now, enough of that!"

They all stopped at Chi-chi's arrival, who reached out for Tulip whom Piccolo relinquished easily enough.

"Can't you see the poor dear is exhausted? You two should take a rest as well and get ready for supper while I give Tulip-kun here a bath."

Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta indulged in a mini staring showdown for a few more heart-stopping seconds after Chi-chi had left, in which everyone around them tensely held their breaths. Bloomer took that as her cue to break them up, so she casually called her hot-headed Saiyajin over to join her at the snack table in an extra sugary voice, effectively annoying him enough for him to break eye contact. Everyone breathed easy as he turned away from the couple, but not without giving Gohan and Piccolo one final glare that silently promised a more apropos confrontation. _If the brat's brat could turn Super, it was a different matter now, one that had everything to do with him!_

Gohan narrowed his eyes accusatorily at Piccolo who countered with a smirk.

"He's bound to know about it eventually." When his mate's eyes only narrowed even more, the Namek laughed. "Vegeta will adore our darling, especially after he loses to Tulip, you'll see."

The brunet demi-Saiyajin sighed, following his husband inside. "Somebody's in a happy mood today."

Gohan didn't want to admit it but he was sulky because Piccolo beat him to gloating about Tulip's powers to the haughty Saiyajin. But more than anything, he was getting increasingly agitated by how his scent on his husband had now been completely snuffed out by everyone else's. He had to do something about that, and quick.

 **-x-**

By the time supper was served, all the others had left and it was just the Daimaoh-Son family and Chi-chi at the dinner table. Goten was very excited to see his big brother again and play with Tulip some more, but Chi-chi had already arranged for Bloomer to take him just for that night because she needed to talk with Piccolo and Gohan about many "adult" things.

That night, Tulip enjoyed her first taste of Earth food immensely, having inherited more of Gohan's appetite. Gohan told his mother of everything that had transpired during their absence and tried to explain as best as he could why it happened. The woman wasn't at all surprised to know that her son and his Namek had already been formally wed in another planet, but she insisted that they also have a proper Earth wedding, to which they didn't argue, but couldn't help their cheeks from fast-staining. Gohan knew they had hurt her deeply by unintentionally excluding her and all of the other Z-Senshi from crucial milestones in their life, especially to do with raising Tulip. And so, he and Piccolo were forced to promise to let her plan the wedding and manage Tulip's education among other things.

When dinner was over and Tulip had fallen asleep on the couch after some minutes of being engrossed in a cartoon on television, Chi-chi cleared her throat and requested that Gohan and Piccolo meet her in the living room after they were done with washing and drying the dishes, saying that she had an important announcement to make.

The couple didn't have a clue what Chi-chi was about to "announce", but it was made clear that it was about their child since she walked over to where Tulip was fast asleep and waited for the two parents to follow. Both wondered if it had something to do with the new addition to their child's get-up: A huge red ribbon that now attempted to keep her wild tresses in a neat ponytail. Chi-chi wordlessly waved a piece of paper at Gohan, which the hybrid Saiyajin took and studied for a moment before he gave a startled exclamation, eyes widening.

Piccolo merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's right, Gohan-kun," Chi-chi said as she looked from her son to her son-in-law. "Tulip-chan _is a girl_. Not a boy."

Piccolo turned to Gohan who showed him what was printed on the piece of paper. But the figures and diagrams didn't mean anything to him, so he went ahead and explained.

"It's a DNA test. Humans use this to determine characteristics and qualities of living things, one of those, being gender. And according to this test, Tulip is… more or less a girl… not a boy like we first thought."

Both parents stared at their sleeping "daughter", and for the first time actually took into consideration how feminine she indeed looked.

"I apologize for asking Bloomer-san to go on with the test without your knowledge. I tried to discreetly ask for your permission after I bathed Tulip, but you two were, erm, 'busy' from the _noises_ I gathered outside your door."

At that Gohan and Piccolo coloured ten shades darker. Piccolo face-palmed and Gohan suddenly found his toes wiggling inside his slippers very interesting.

"I certainly hope you two don't subject your daughter's innocent ears –or eyes- to that!"

"Mother!" Gohan squeaked. "Of course not!"

"Well, if she has Piccolo-san's hearing, I wouldn't be too sure."

Piccolo groaned, face still buried in his palm.

"Anyway, that's not why I called you here. I just wanted you to give her more feminine clothes, if that's okay with you since I didn't have any that fits her. Now I know there's still a possibility she'll develop into a hermaphrodite when she grows up, but just like you Piccolo-san who's dominantly male, I think it's safe to say that your lovely child is dominantly female. And I just don't think dressing her as a boy or anything else is going to help her, especially now that you're back on Earth. She'll eventually have to go to school and mingle. I think she would enjoy her life better if she knew what she was and be given a chance to better identify with it."

"Oh, wow…" Gohan still couldn't believe it. He really didn't think it was possible for them to have a girl but now that they did, he was honestly very pleased. "We didn't mean to, Mother. We really thought she was a boy, or… somewhere in the middle…"

"I know, it was an honest mistake," Chi-chi said kindly. She then faced the towering Namek. "Now, would you please give her more appropriate clothing? I've done what I could to tame that mane of hers but I can't sew as fast as you can create clothes. Bloomer-san offered some of Bra-chan's old clothes for the meantime, but I'm afraid they didn't fit Tulip-chan."

Piccolo nodded, pausing for a moment and trying to bring to mind what more "feminine" clothes were supposed to look like. Gohan gripped his arm and closed his eyes, helping to project a clearer image of what clothes they both felt would fit their daughter. When the Namek opened his eyes again, he stretched his hand to hover over Tulip, and a rustle of air and a puff of smoke later, Tulip was dressed in a garnet-violet sleeveless gi top complimented with balloon gi shorts of the same colour, fitted securely around her waist by a red obi. The outfit is completed with white off-the-shoulder puffed-up sleeves which matched the traditional Namekian thick-layered foulard which was snugly wrapped around her neck.

"Oh," Chi-chi clasped her hands together, clearly pleased. "How lovely! Thank you, Piccolo-san."

"My pleasure."

Gohan hugged his husband's arm, gushing like he was five years old again.

"It's perfect, she's so beautiful in it…" Chi-chi murmured as she carefully swept aside stray fringe from Tulip's veiled eyes. "I'm sure she will be very happy when she wakes up."

The proud parents were ushered out of the room soon after that and ordered to get busy 'making her more grandchildren' while their child wasn't around to see or hear it. Gohan and Piccolo obeyed without complaint, although their faces looked ready to combust.

When they had been dismissed, Chi-chi made sure the fireplace gave off just the right warmth to keep the child cosy, before pulling up her rocking chair with her sewing implements on hand. A deep sense of happiness and contentment that she never thought she would find again settling in her heart, as she watched over her precious little angel _Tulip-chan_ sleep.

 **The End.**

* * *

 **Notes:**

 _ *** Larin** –_ This is Marron, whom I renamed Larin. Why? I find the idea that Kririn named his daughter after his bimbo gold-digger ex-girlfriend just gross. (Why do you do this, Toriyama-sensei?) Yet another of sell-out DBZ's idiotic bandwagons I'd rather not jump into, thank you very much. In my headcanon, I'd like to believe that Kririn loves and respects Eighteen enough not to do such a disgusting thing. Sorry if you happen to be a fan who likes her canon name.

 ***** Snippets from this story are from my yet-to-be-published stories: **"Chronicles of the Intergalactic Ersatzian Games"** & **"The Other Half of My Soul"**.

* * *

 **Personal A/N** **:** Decided to add these additional miscellaneous notes, more for my own reference than anything. I had a hard time (as you probably gathered from all my initial mistakes) with writing Tulip's neutral gender. She isn't as boyish as kid Trunks but more like how Gohan was when he was a kid (which was quite feminine), and yet, infused with Piccolo's snark. However, she is not at all your typical annoying Japanese girl protagonist like Pan who is an insufferable brat. She has a lot of pride when it comes to her strength, but she doesn't puff herself up, doesn't talk in an overbearing cutesy manner, and she definitely doesn't boss people around or nag. (She is different with her parents, of course, which shows their closeness). If anything, because Gohan himself was raised with impeccable manners (plus she is also technically an Ersatzian princess), she is very respectful and well-mannered towards everyone, regardless of who or what they are (if her beloved parents are threatened, that's an entirely different matter, though.) She's very androgynous, and thanks to Piccolo who also has no biases -as opposed to the overstuffing of boorish machismo he was given in the American dub- the original Japanese Piccolo is actually very sensitive, even gentle, highly cerebral, and even princely in manner which nicely balances with the rest of him. He doesn't talk like a muscle-brain with alpha-male issues (as American dubs often do), that's for sure. So, all these were taken into consideration when I wrote his interactions with his daughter. He's not trying to put on airs like a tough guy dad or expecting Tulip to "man up" even when he thought she was a he. But he is definitely not afraid to show affection towards Tulip either -just as he was with Gohan especially after they became friends! Guh. Okay. End of rant.

* * *

 _My character design/sketch of Tulip-kun can be found on my **AO3** :_ _works/8319505_

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(2016/01/24-2017/03/11)


	2. Parental

**Notes:** Refers to events that take place in **"Don't Smell The Rozealeas"**.

 **Warning:** This chapter contains **_domestic interspecies lime._**

* * *

 **"Parental"  
** (Gohan finds out his four-year-old daughter is madly in love with a mysterious stranger who is allegedly more handsome than him and Piccolo. He does not take it very well.)

 **-x-**

"Piccolo-san, we need to talk."

"If you are going to drag me off to do some overzealous crime-fighting again, I absolutely refuse, Gohan."

"Not crime-fighting. Parenting."

Piccolo almost spurted the water he had been chugging from his gourd bottle.

"W-what?! What do you mean? Is something wrong with Tulip?"

"Well… it's because, yesterday, when I asked her how her day at school was…"

 **-x-**

 _"Papa… Would it be okay if I asked you something a bit… 'adult'sy?"_

 _The flaxen-haired four-year-old fidgeted uncharacteristically, distractedly fiddling with her seatbelt; Gohan not missing the light_ _colour_ _staining her already rosy cheeks._

 _"Of course, princess. Fire away!"_

 _"Uh, h-how did you know you… err, how did you…_ _uhhmm…"_

 _"'How did I what, sweetie?"_

 _By now the blush on his daughter's face was glowing. And though he acted casual, he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her through the front mirror whenever his driving permitted it._

 _"How did you know you were in love with Daddy?"_

 **-x-**

"Of course, after I gave her an answer, I asked why she asked."

"And?"

"She said…"

 **-x-**

 _"Oh, nothing. Just curious."_

 **-x-**

"I think Tulip-kun is in love."

Piccolo only stared at him, uncomprehending.

Gohan stood up from the boulder he had been resting on, discarding his torn gi top and wading into the lake.

"This is a disaster, Piccolo-san!"

"'Disaster'?" Piccolo echoed, mopping a line of sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist. "I am not sure I follow."

"She's only four years old!"

After a moment's thought, the Namek deduced, "Do you mean that by human standards she is too young to be in love?" When Gohan only stared at him imploringly, he shrugged. "I don't know. I felt ancient by the time I was four years old."

Gohan had almost forgotten about his husband's advanced aging, which effectively killed that argument on the spot. He tried a different angle.

"Aren't you even just the slightest bit worried that she's already romantically interested in someone so soon?"

"You mean," Piccolo crossed his arms, raising a brow. "That I should be alarmed that she takes too much after you?"

Gohan's mouth opened and his chest heaved but he deflated the next moment, cheeks flushing bright pink. Another angle of his argument shot dead.

"Well. No. Not exactly, at least. This is different! Tulip-kun is a _girl_."

"You lost me again." The Namek gently put down his gourd to join Gohan in the water, his burnt and tattered clothes vanishing with a flick of his wrist. "How, pray tell, is this 'different', exactly?"

"Aren't you even just a little afraid that she might run off with whoever this is? She looked so in love, I'm not sure she knows what she's getting into! It's too early for Tulip-kun to leave the nest! I won't allow it!"

 _Leave the nest?_ Piccolo's brows furrowed. "Okay, relax. Hold those wild horses of yours. You're starting to sound like your mother."

"Piccolo-san, please! This is a serious matter!"

" _Oi_ ," Gohan stopped fidgeting when powerful hands grasped his shoulders in place. "Will you stop fretting for one second and listen to me?" Chestnut brown eyes focused on its mate's deep blue ones, uncertainly. "Aren't you overreacting? Tulip is the most intelligent four-year-old on the planet ever since _you_ grew up. I think we should trust our daughter and stop approaching this so fatalistically."

"I- I know," Gohan let out a heavy sigh. "You're right! It- it's just that, I'm so afraid of losing her…! She's the best thing that's ever happened to me since _you._ And- I'm just worried that- oh, now that I think about it, it really is bad!" The hybrid began to hyperventilate all over again, "If she _is_ anything like me when it comes to love… then, she might do the same thing I did!"

"The only reason we were forced to do what we did was because your mother was unsupportive of your choice. If we back up our little Tulip whatever happens, I don't think she'll want to stray far from us. The fact that she opened up to you so easily is proof that she wants to share this experience with us."

Gohan's head jerked up at that, as though hit by a bolt of lightning. He blinked for several moments, gathering his thoughts.

"Oh, Kamisama. What was I thinking?" he murmured, realization dawning in. "The last thing I want to do is to scare her away."

Piccolo patted the younger boy's head affectionately. "Exactly."

"Piccolo-san! You're amazing when it comes to these things! What would I do without you?" Before the Namek could open his mouth Gohan had already sealed his lips with a finger. "Never mind. Don't answer that."

Piccolo only grunted as he was cuddled, arms securing around him and forcing his naked body flush against his partner's.

"Thanks to you, I now know exactly what to do!" Gohan declared after distractedly scattering tongue-filled lip smacks over smooth and gorgeous green pectoral muscles. "We're going stop her from falling in love with the wrong guy!"

"What?"

"We're just going to find out who this smug little chump is who managed to capture our daughter's fancy and we're going to make sure _he, she, or both_ , doesn't break her heart or spirit her away!"

"Okay…" Piccolo said very slowly. "You keep saying 'we' but I haven't agreed to any of that. Mainly because I think it's unsoundly asinine."

"Oh no," Gohan's grip around his husband tightened dangerously. "She's _our_ daughter. We have to make sure she doesn't get into trouble or end up heartbroken! I need your cooperation here, Piccolo-san!"

"I think, maybe, that as a good husband and father, this is the part where I should knock you unconscious to keep _you_ from getting _our daughter_ in trouble and breaking her heart."

"Oh, Kamisama, I can't believe it…" Gohan mumbled, a mildly crazed look in his eyes and an oddly misplaced smile on his lips. "Are we actually having our first real domestic fight?"

"Alright, Gohan. Now I'm starting to get more worried about you. I knew you were stressed out ever since we both started working at the university. But since it's normal for you to be unhinged from time to time…"

"I'm fine." The half-breed again tightened his embrace emphatically and rested his head against his mate's broad chest, eyes unfocused in the far distance.

Piccolo fell into his own thoughts. He was afraid that their decision to bring back the moon might produce unforeseen side-effects, especially after Gohan had grown back his Saiyajin tail on Ersatz Earth. They had only decided that it was relatively safer to bring it back because they were able to train and control his Oozaru transformation before they returned to Earth. He knew his former pupil and childhood friend was eccentric enough on a normal basis, but lately, it was noteworthy how his loony spells have been getting a little out of hand.

"Why is your heart beating so fast?" Gohan lifted his head to narrow his eyes at his towering husband. It was no easy feat, by the way. It was like trying to stare down a mountain. But he had the special technique down pat by now.

"Maybe because you're crushing my organs?"

"Oh," The boy gave an abashed laugh and loosened his hold. "Sorry, love."

Piccolo sighed in between the idle kisses occupying his lips now. "Look… why don't we just… talk to her?" Gohan paused and listened. "Did you even ask her who this love interest is? Maybe it's not as bad as your unstable mind is making it out to be."

"I did! Of course, I did!" Gohan piped up sulkily, poking his lover in the chest. "And don't think I'm not counting your jabs at my mental state, you ex-megalomaniac!" His started giggling, however, as his 'ex-megalomaniac' lover began nibbling puckishly on his ear.

Which led some endless minutes of light-headed lip locking, before Piccolo spoke up as they panted softly, noses touching and lips hovering only a millimetre from each others'.

"And? What did she say?"

"Well… That's the thing…"

 **-x-**

 _"Err, well…"_

 _"Papa? Are you actually shy? After all the things I've seen –and heard- you and Daddy do when you think I don't?"_

 _"Whu-what?! What do you-"_

 _"It's okay if you don't feel comfortable answering my question."_

 _"Hey, no, princess, of course, I can answer! Hm, let me see… Well, I uh, I- err, kind of just knew. From the moment I saw –and scented- Piccolo-san, uhm, I just… I just couldn't imagine anything worth doing without him in my life, you know… That sort of cringeworthy mush…"_

 _"Did he make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?"_

 _"He did. He still does… Every time… But, haha! That's just me, I'm a load of sap so-"_

 _"I think it's beautiful… But how old were you when you knew it? I mean, when you knew it for real?"_

 _"Uhh, well, I_ _uhh, I have always liked him, but I didn't really know what it was I was feeling so, it took me some time to figure it out…"_

 _"So, what age did you figure it out?"_

 _"Oh, I uhm, I don't remember exactly, around eleven, I think?"_

 _"But you've liked him since you were…?_

 _"Since I first saw him…"_

 _"Age, Papa!"_

 _"Err, four?"_

 _"Wow… That's so romantic!"_

 _"Oh,_ _ehehe. Err, ah, so, pumpkin… I take it you're asking me this because there's someone you like."_

 _"Maybe? Maybe it's nothing. I'm just curious."_

 _"'Maybe'? Aw,_ _c'mon. That's not fair, cupcake. After Papa answered all your embarrassing questions."_

 _"Haha! I'm sorry, Papa. But I was telling the truth. I said 'maybe', because I'm not sure yet… how I feel."_

 _"Err, wanna share more details with Papa?"_

 _"Nah. You don't know him."_

 _"Does he at least, have a name?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Papa. But I can't tell you his name."_

 **-x-**

"She said… she can't tell me." Gohan murmured incredulous, the shock of the experience obviously still racking his mind. "She's already keeping secrets from us, Piccolo-san! It's… _terrible._ "

Piccolo frowned. Gohan was really stressing over this.

"I'm afraid, Piccolo-san. What if she rebels against us completely?" As he said this, his eyes began to water. But when several more minutes went by without a word from the Namek, Gohan peered up at him again. "Piccolo-san?"

"You are really starting to act and sound like your mother right about now. It's seriously creepy."

"Oh, Kamisama. It _is_ creepy." Gohan paled slightly. "Especially since you're holding me right now… and we're both naked… and-"

"Alright, stop right there. If you go there, you're not getting any tonight."

"Waaah! No! Okay! I'm sorry!"

 **-x-**

"So, pumpkin. Can you at least tell Papa, where you met this prince charming of yours?"

"Hm?"

Tulip looked up from what was supposedly her homework but actually was her treasured sketchbook hidden in the pages of a big hardbound book. Gohan recognized the symptoms and he wasn't fooled at all. He thought he saw a glimpse of spiky hair but she quickly shielded the page from his view and shut the book.

"What did you say, Papa?"

Gohan smiled at his daughter before turning back to face the kitchen sink where he had been washing vegetables and preparing lunch. He took a deep subtle breath, trying to stay grounded. This was a good chance to reassure his daughter that they were on her side all the way!

It was the weekend and their family bonding time. They usually all did the cooking together, but since Piccolo had to attend to some last-minute business at the university, he had to report to the office very early that Saturday morning but promised his commitment wouldn't keep him from lunch. And Tulip had… homework- _but was sketching her secret crush instead!_

"Oh, nothing, princess." Gohan wiped his hands dry on his apron and began peeling carrots. His husband and daughter loved curry, and luckily, he had adapted the recipe from his mother to perfection. But right now, his mind was only half on the dish at hand.

 _That sketchbook!_

It seems that his daughter was really taking after him if she was sketching her crush! He definitely had to take a peek at that sketch!

But Piccolo's words echoed caution in his mind. He felt just like he had taken his mother Chi-chi's post now and had caught his eleven-year-old-self sketching his secret crush. No! He can't be sneaky, he hated that. He was going to be supportive of her! He wasn't going to scare her into thinking she needed to keep secrets from them! He was going to be a good, understanding parent slash best friend!

"I was just wondering… maybe you could at least tell Papa where you first met this prince charming of yours…"

A soft chuckle filled the air. He loved the sound of their daughter's voice, especially her laugh.

"Oh, well, I met him in my dreams, Papa!" The four-year-old exotic hybrid stated, emerald green eyes twinkling as if that was the most obvious thing in the universe. She then sighed and giggled some more. "He's sooo handsome, Papa!"

Gohan nearly chopped his finger right off.

"R-r-really…?"

Cautiously setting aside the cubed carrots, he began working on the potatoes, more carefully this time.

"Uh-huh."

"N-no way! Even more handsome than your Daddy and me?" he returned half in jest. Oh, but he really wanted to know! _Who the hell was this annoying chump anyway?_

"Hmm… he's definitely more handsome than you, Papa. But only half a modicum more handsome than Daddy."

Gohan felt like he just took a Ki blast to his unguarded stomach. He always suspected Tulip played favourites. _She really did like her Daddy Piccolo better!_ And he couldn't help a pang of-

"Are you being jealous, Papa?" Tulip was by his side now, peering at the vegetables and spices on the countertop.

Gohan laughed loudly. (Though he wasn't sure why.)

"What makes you say that, princess?"

"Ohhh… I don't know…" Tulip's iridescent jade orbs studied his face for a while before returning to the vegetables. "Because you've murdered the potatoes in cold blood?"

"Waahh!" Gohan stared aghast at the unrecognizable glop that was once fine home-grown potatoes from their well-tended backyard garden.

Tulip chortled deliriously, "You're so funny, Papa!" But upon seeing her father's dejected expression, she wrapped her small arms around as much of him as tightly as she could, "That's okay, Papa! I still love you!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Gohan said with a woeful smile. "I'll fix it." He shoved the remnants of the vegetables into the garbage disposal but his daughter's tiny hand stopped him.

"No, Papa! Don't waste food. It'll be fine."

Tulip dashed to the other corner of the kitchen to fetch her very own wooden stepladder (one she had built herself with Gohan's help, insisting that she wanted to make one without using magic). After putting on an apron (she had sewn herself too), she climbed the ladder until she was level with the countertop. She washed her hands before setting aside the now 'mashed' potatoes in a saucer, which she then dumped into the boiling pot.

"We can use those to thicken the soup! It'll be yummy."

Gohan, who had watched her with a father's silent adoration the whole time now felt hotness stinging his eyes and that all-too-familiar heartache of too much love expanding in his chest.

"See?" She grinned at him brightly before reaching out for her own smaller knife from the block. "Now we'll just chop up new perfect ones! I'll help you, Papa! You can be in charge of stirring the pot for now!"

The demi-Saiyajin had to summon all his will power to stop from breaking down there and then and crushing his daughter in his arms. He nodded, giving his best response to the sunshine fanged smile flashed his way, then moved with shaky knees to the stove, obediently tending to the boiling stew.

Somehow, he remembered all the times he had put his mother through similar challenging situations. He wondered how she truly felt then and how hard it must have been. Now, he was both heartbroken over the joy of having such a wonderful little angel in his life and guilt-ridden over the suffering he had most likely put his mother through. He vowed to make it up to her. But he was glad that she seemed to be overjoyed to have Tulip now. They were lucky she even agreed to let her stay with them during weekends considering how much she missed the little girl in even a moment's absence. And now, was his dearest baby going to leave him too like he did his mother?

"First, you say you met him in your dreams, and now you say he's better looking than your Papa and Daddy…" Gohan said wistfully after some companionable silence passed between them as they worked side by side. "Now, I really want to meet this lucky fellow."

The smile on Tulip's face faltered. Her lips were open with unspoken words when-

" _Tadaima!_ "

"Daddy!" Tulip squeal-whispered, dropping everything and jumping off her stepladder.

Gohan's heart clenched. Piccolo was home, and his happiness couldn't be more complete. He used to be the one throttling his husband whenever he arrived, but now, he let their daughter have the pleasure of doing that first. One he took just as much pleasure in witnessing all the same.

Piccolo walked into the kitchen with a comically feral looking Tulip latched on to his arm, fangs bared and little voice growling. Tulip's both fearsome and cute expression crumbled into a fit of hysterical chuckles as her green father-slash-mother pretended to be in immense pain from the "attack".

" _Okaeri_ ," Gohan breathed, feeling his being hum in blissful contentment at the sight of them both.

He felt his cheeks flush as he took in his lean Namek, looking as dashing as ever in his formal white dress shirt and tie. He was immensely grateful that they were able to find a job at the newly established intergalactic university in Metro West City. Even if they really didn't need to work because they had everything they needed between the forests' bounty, Piccolo's magic, and Capsule Corporation's full support (with Bloomer being Tulip's godmother), they both thought it would be a good contribution to secure their daughter's future and ensure Chi-chi's and Gyuumaoh's comfort.

"What's with the long face, Gohan?"

Gohan shuddered as Piccolo's low rumbling purr vibrated in his ear before soft lips pressing down made his sensitive skin there prickle. He balled his fists endeavouring to resist the maddening urge to pin his husband against the countertop, savagely rip his clothes off right there and then, and take him like it was the end of the world. Even if they'd never done it in the kitchen before, it wasn't necessarily not part of his fantasies. He closed his eyes and laudably pushed down images of a sweat-slick butt naked Piccolo clad in nothing but a flimsy apron being fucked bruisingly hard against the countertop. He inhaled deeply, taking in as much of Namek's scent as possible and letting it permeate his senses to calm his libido, telling himself that the world wasn't ending yet, and they still had _all of tonight._

But as always, ever since his Namek had begun his normal job, there were a dozen other foreign scents on his mate that made Gohan bristle in agitation.

"Daddy, look! We're making curry!"

Piccolo gently but meaningfully squeezed his husband's hand which had unconsciously grasped his arm in an iron grip, snapping Gohan out of mid-snarl and the beginnings of ascension.

"Papa, are you growling at Daddy again?"

Tulip's little head popped in-between them, her elfin ears twitching. Gohan blinked down at his daughter, mildly disorientated.

"Is it because he smells funny again? Do you need to do adult stuff? I can finish chopping the-"

"Oh, no, crumbs no, cupcake!" Gohan shook himself out of the trance completely and scooped her up, engulfing her tiny frame in an affectionate hug. "Adult stuff can wait. No way I'm letting my little cream puff do all the work."

"Are you sure?" Tulip mumbled when she was pecked in the cheek. "You know I'd understand, Papa. Besides, I'm pretty good at kitchen stuff. I can manage."

"I know, sweet pea." The demi-Saiyajin gave another lingering kiss to the tip of her very Piccolo button nose this time before setting her back on her step ladder. "But I want us to do it together! We'll finish up here, while _your daddy_ takes a quick _–thorough-_ shower."

Piccolo obediently does as he was told, growling menacingly under his breath when Gohan managed to get in a very hearty butt squeeze before he could defend his rear.

 **-x-**

"Don't be sad anymore, Papa."

Gohan looked up, not realizing that he had fallen into silence again. Tulip's worried eyes were peering up at his face.

"It doesn't matter if there is someone just a scoach more handsome than you and Daddy, I still love both of you worlds more!"

The wetness that had been rimming his eyes without him even being aware of began to overflow. He was thankful that the steam from the pot was already semi-fogging his eyeglasses.

"You promise?" Gohan's voice was but a small emotional whisper striving to sound stable.

"More than all the galaxies combined, until the end of the world! I promise! So please, Papa, don't be sad anymore. Or else, me and Daddy will be sad too. Smile again, pretty please? With whipped cream and extra caramel ripple on top?"

And before he could stop himself, his little bundle of joy was within his arms again, doing her best to pat his back like the mature little adult she was despite being nearly crushed alive by the ferocity of the strongest embrace in the universe.

" _Yokatta."_ The tears finally rolling down the brunet demi-Saiyajin's cheeks, the sublime burning warmth in his chest radiating all the way to his soul. "I love you and your Daddy more than all the galaxies combined until the end of the world too!"

"Silly, Papa!" Tulip sniffed in half-hearted reprimand. "Of course, I already knew that."

Gohan chuckled.

"Good."

 **End(?)**

* * *

(06/27/2016 - 03/23/2017)


	3. Snapshots

**"Snapshots"**

(In which Gohan returns the favour by bringing in the sunshine when his daughter Tulip is having a less than cheery day (and they conspire to beat Piccolo in a game of Tickling Wars,mehehe.)

 **-x-**

"Tulip-kun, what's wrong, sugarplum?"

"Nothing, Papa."

"Oh, c'mon. How can that be nothing? Please, open the door and tell me why you're crying?

"I'm not crying."

"You know, princess," Gohan leaned against the door of Tulip's room, a nostalgic smile forming on his lips. "You take after your daddy there. You're a terrible liar."

The demi-Saiyajin stepped back, startled, as the door became unbolted and slowly swung open to reveal his small hybrid Saiyajin-Namekian daughter.

"What are you saying? You're even worse at it, Papa."

Gohan's heart clenched. His little angel's usually beamish face was gloomy with distress.

"That's okay." He knelt down on one knee and swept aside stray wheat-golden fringe from his daughter's forehead and wiped the new tears that were welling in her eyes. "It's not something I want to be good at anyway."

Tulip sniffed and heaved and Gohan wrapped her tightly in his arms the very next moment.

"You wanna tell Papa what's wrong?" The tiny body in his arms only flung her arms around his neck and shook as more tears fell. "Awww… hey. C'mon now, I'm here for you, we're always here for you, you know that, right?" More sobs. "Remember when you told Papa to smile or you and Piccolo-san would be sad too?"

"I'm sorry, Papa!" Tulip wailed. "I don't want to make you and Daddy sad!"

Gohan picked her up, padded inside her room, and settled her on his lap, rubbing her back as he sat on the bed. After some more minutes of letting his daughter empty her tear ducts, he gently prodded.

"Is it something that happened at school?"

"No…"

"Is it something I did?"

"No!"

"Something your Daddy Piccolo did?"

At that, she broke into more fits of sniffling and heaving, the lachrymose atmosphere making it very hard for Gohan to not break down in sympathetic bawling himself.

"Princess…?"

"I- I… I dreamt that… that Daddy-!" More hiccups. "…T-that D-Daddy was dead!"

Gohan quickly hugged the tiny shaking form again, doing his best to comfort her, but he couldn't deny the horror he felt in the pit of his stomach at the idea. "Whoa, hey, there now. Hush, it's only a bad dream. That's all."

"B-but Daddy said Nameks don't dream!" she cried, "What if it's real? Like, a premonition or something?"

The young father took a deep long breath, gathering his bearings for his daughter's sake. Piccolo was usually the better one at cheering her up because more often than not, he got so distraught when Tulip was sad that his emotions got the best of him and he couldn't think straight.

The rustic wooden clock on the wall told him that Piccolo was not going to be back anytime soon. His husband was technically still interim Kamisama and he had very important business overseeing Dende's training with Nail every week at the Kami no Shinden. The teenage Namek was in the final stages of his apprenticeship and it was imperative that Piccolo and Kami guided him especially now that he was learning the crucial task of forging his own dragon balls.

He was on his own for two hours more and he was determined not to let Piccolo see them weeping like helpless new-born infants (which not to say didn't already happen once or twice before). Though thoroughly embarrassing, he just couldn't help empathize with his precious little girl when she was down; which already happened rarely enough that it would be far more disconcerting if she had her infrequent blues even less.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin." Gohan carefully pulled his daughter away just to be able to wipe her face and give what he hoped was a convincing smile. "I understand how you feel. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have those dreams too. And not just of Piccolo-san but my father, my mother, and the gang. Nightmares are normal, I'm afraid. I know it can be even more frightening to wake up from that and not be able to feel your daddy's Ki. But don't worry, it only means that he's in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber up at the temple. You know how strong your daddy is, it will take more than a nightmare or premonition to knock him down!"

Tulip bit on her trembling lip, hard. Something she did when she tried not to be sad or afraid.

"I know…" she sniffed. "It's just- i-it felt so real- a-and… it was so awful!" Tears welled up at the corners of her doleful eyes. "I was so scared!"

"It's okay, sweet pea. Let the weight off your chest as much as you need. But don't let that dream get to you because that's all it was, a dream. Everything is okay now, we're here. I'm sure your daddy is just fine. He's so strong now that he could surpass the other gods if he really wanted to! Don't forget that, your Gruncle Vegeta himself said as much, which is saying a lot! Besides, apart from that, he's got you and me watching his back! So I reckon that he's going to live a really long life whether he likes to or not, as long as we have something to say about it! And even after that, we're not going to let him bail on us that easily, won't we?"

"No…" Tulip murmured, a rickety smile slowly broadening across her face. "We won't."

"That's the spirit, princess." Gohan grinned playfully as his daughter softly chuckled. "Which is why we have to be sure we greet him with happy faces when he arrives later. We'll all cuddle by the fireplace after dinner; we'll read to him, ask him silly questions, and pester him to teach us magic until we fall asleep just like we always do on weekends, what do you say?"

Tulip sighed as she climbed down from her father's lap and sucked in a steady composing breath. Then with a big smile, she declared, "I'd like that very much, Papa!"

Gohan beams his own sunshiny smile right back at his lovely daughter before he gets tackled in a soul-crushing embrace.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Papa!"

"Anytime, sugarplum. That's what your daddy and I are here for."

"I miss Daddy so much already."

"Me too, honey bee. Me too." Gohan nuzzled their noses together in an affectionate Eskimo kiss, before turning his daughter around to leisurely comb and fix her hair. "But I know just the thing to keep us busy until he gets home!"

"What?"

"We'll play *Tag-The-Tail in the tulip fields after our gardening! I'm still the reigning champion after all!"

"No fair, you know that tulips have a soporific effect on our Namek blood!" The four-year-old said, face collected into a pout.

"Consider it training!" Gohan quipped with faked sternness. "If you beat me, you'll have the upper hand when we challenge Piccolo-san to another round of *Tickling Wars!"

"Oh, that's right!" Tulip pounded her palm passionately. "I always lose to you and Daddy when we play Tickling Wars! But I won't settle for that, no way!"

Gohan laughed, "There you go!"

"Alright, I'm game!"

After her wild Super Saiyajin locks had been neatly re-lassoed into the colossal red ribbon from her Grandmother Chi-chi, she went to wash her face and met her father at the backyard doorway already geared up in overalls and work boots for their afternoon gardening.

Half an hour of weeding and watering later had them playing a combined game of Tag-The-Tail and Tickling Wars wherein a winner couldn't be decided and they ended up rolling in the tulip fields instead, laughing so hard that their bellies ached.

Gohan's diversion had worked. Before they knew it, Piccolo was home and was aptly tackled by his husband and daughter and smothered unmercifully with kisses and hugs. They bathed, had dinner, and curled up snugly on the couch underneath a quilt in front of the fireplace afterwards. It was one of those little eternities they were certain that they were the happiest family on the planet.

Right before sleep claimed the young hybrid, she smiled, burrowing deeper in-between the warm bodies of her sleeping parents where she was sandwiched, and surely enough, the dreams she had that night were the sweetest of all.

 **End(?)**

* * *

 **Notes:**

 ** _*Tag-The-Tail & Tickling Wars_** \- mutated games I made up, obviously. Exclusive to their family. Teehee.

* * *

(04/25/2017)


	4. Over Drive

**Note:** Refers to events and headcanons established in "When Tulips Bloom In Winter". You might appreciate this chapter better if you've already read that.

 **Warning:** This chapter is why I upped the rating to **Mature**. For the wonderful reason that it is nothing but shameless HanPicco fan-service and taken alone (without the Dragon Ball Retro plot it is part of) this is very much a PWP. Again, as with all my stories, I work with the original Japanese tsundere (and officially hermaphroditic) Piccolo and with an abundance of headcanons.

* * *

 **"Over Drive"**  
(Where Gohan can't help but express just how much he loves his mate, as any almighty half-breed Super Saiyajin could; and Piccolo being the ever-devoted loving "wifey" makes his husband happy, as much as any incredible hybrid Super Namek could. All is well and perfect in their crazy married world.)

 **-x-**

Piccolo Daimoah Jr sighed.

His hip still hurt, as it always did the mornings after. He had no idea that married life could be so… _exhausting._ Being a husband and lover turned out to be much more physically taxing than any rigorous training he's ever endured as a student or mentor. But perhaps that was only due to the fact that they overdid _certain aspects_ … He never had the heart to tell Gohan to slow down just to give him a chance to recover. Well, actually, he did. But in the end, after Gohan wooed and begged, his heart (which happened to beat for no other) would predictably be swayed. It felt almost borderline cruel to deny the boy what he wanted. Indeed, his love for Gohan, was both his greatest strength _and weakness_. That, and truthfully, in spite of everything, no part of him was legitimately complaining about their arrangement. Even now, as he adjusted his ailing posterior upon the office chair trying to relieve some of the persistent soreness, he knew he had no regrets.

It was truly frightening how comfortable in this new dimension of chaos he's become.

Ever since he got a taste of it first-hand, it was as though his system was being overtaken by an unknown side of him that had been awakened; slowly but surely being infected by that wild, untamed energy in the form of Gohan's possessive and tangible desire. It was unlike anything he's ever experienced, and yet not at all foreign—a primordial predisposition from within him merely uncapped and allowed to surge forth like an upwelling of the most liberating madness; his very own will to be consumed by it was rewriting his very nature and commandeering his body, leaving him in a latent feverish state—of constant buzzing, frenzied want.

Gohan was just as afflicted but his want was on the more volcanic range of the spectrum. There were phases to it, like the moon and the tides. And going by experience, it was most active around the time of Tulip's conception; when they were gripped by the urge to produce offspring. His mate, though more predatory by design, struggled more fiercely against his very nature, vacillating in and out of control over his primal need. Vegeta did mention that extremely rare as it was, it did occur. For a Saiyajin to channel their bloodlust to a desired mate instead of a strong opponent in battle. But it was not only so rare that it was almost unheard of—but also exceedingly dangerous if that Saiyajin singled one –and only one- mate out of unparalleled affection. The Saiyajins insatiable predisposition to fight was but one common form their abominable energy took, but when those two seemingly opposite avenues of urges collided, the very purpose of seeking out the strongest united with the purpose of fulfilling what nature designed all living creatures to do. Their daughter was healthy, living, breathing evidence that they were not only compatible but very successful at it. Thanks to his highly-advanced Pokopen abilities, Tulip was already proving to be the next most powerful of evolutionary hybrids.

Ever since they returned to Earth from their unexpected sojourn on Asteroid E2, Gohan had been faithfully devoted to impregnating his mate, clearly hell-bent on making up for all the times he neglected to keep his surly Namek "wife" pumped full of his essence…

 _Stop._ Piccolo chided himself, shuddering at the provocative imagery his school of thought evoked.

He shook his head to clear it, unconsciously shifting in his seat which caused him to wince as tendrils of agony shot up from his oh-so-very tender rear; everything from his waist down felt raw and hyper-sensitive. If not for his advanced healing powers as a hybrid Super Namek, he would never have been able to survive their "nightly activities" that stretched until sunrise; and with literally just a wink of sleep, spent what remained of the ungodly mornings getting ready for work for the day.

That morning, Gohan still managed to squeeze in a "quick session" by the front door before they stepped out to head for the university- yes, it was _that_ fresh. He could still feel the angry kisses on his neck, the teeth scraping his antennae, and the frisky tongue repeatedly probing and stroking deep within the walls of his sensitive throat.

Piccolo shivered again, adjusting his muffler, feeling silly that he had to keep the ridiculous thing on indoors and even sillier that he had to lie about feeling cold when his co-workers from their interplanetary faculty division noticed it. He couldn't very well tell them that the soft fabric soothed the chilled gooseflesh that prickled his neck whenever his body remembered the sensual abuse and made him ache for the sweet torture. Of course, its primary purpose was to shield the recent trophies of his most private adventures from prying eyes; marks that he still hadn't the time nor energy to heal.

The Namek sucked in a timed breath, once again nagging himself to focus on his task at hand. He felt aghast; he has never had this much trouble concentrating before!

A five-minute meditation later, he was beginning to finally settle into a workflow when suddenly, the entrance to his office cubicle is barred by none other than-

"Gohan…?!"

 _His ever loving husband._

"We need to talk."

Instantly, Piccolo felt his loins tighten. Normally, he would say 'no'. Correction: he _needed_ to say no. They agreed not to interact intimately in their mutual workplace since their current relationship _in their true identities_ was still unknown to the general public. It was easy enough since they were from different departments even if within the same university, but if they "talked" too often, other people will start to do the same…

The "no" that had been readying itself to launch off his tongue slid back down his throat. Gohan was giving him "the look". A look that made him feel naked and thirsty all at once. Oh well, he supposed it was just something work-related, right? Gohan knew better than to risk blowing their cover; or so, that's what Piccolo naïvely thought…

The moment his buttocks lifted off the chair, his arm was grabbed and to Piccolo's sheer bewilderment—the very next second, they were in their secret mountain home, inside their bedroom, at the very foot of their waiting bed… Piccolo couldn't really say he was surprised. Be that as it may, he was still inevitably-spectacularly overwhelmed. (And alright, fine. Maybe a *tad* excited.)

Gohan, on the other hand, was already on tugging at his necktie, tussling with the buttons of his shirt, and unfastening his belt, and so on- with a curious combination of focus and impatience. Piccolo meanwhile, found himself just watching his partner do all that, his mind still hadn't quite caught up with them and was still teleporting to where they were— or possibly lost somewhere in time and space for the time being. Piccolo is then hastily pushed onto the bed, already completely striped of all his upper garments.

"Gohan! Ack!"

"Hurry, Piccolo-san! We only have twenty-five minutes left of lunch break. Do you know how much paperwork I rushed just for this _extra twenty-five minutes?!_ "

"This is what you meant by 'talk'?!"

Gohan didn't acknowledge what he likely assumed was a rhetorical question. Instead, he leaned in and sat on his husband's now bare thighs, dilated pupils boring into shocked blue orbs. Piccolo's breath hitched as he felt his partner already "warming-him-up" down there.

"Nngh, d-did you even- ahh, w-wash your hands?"

The half-breed laughed (even if Piccolo wasn't trying to be funny).

"H-have you even had lunch already?" The Namek half-groaned-half hissed, his breath coming out in sharp pants now.

"This _is_ my lunch," Gohan chimed in cheerily. " _Itadakimasu!"_ Chuckling some more as he got but a low growl in response.

After some carefully placed lip-presses to the face and ears of his squirming Namek, the half-breed trailed wet smacks down his chest, torso, and navel; fingers unrelenting in its ministrations. Reaching his husband's pelvic area, he licked the soft, smooth mound generously before letting his tongue finally join his fingers in stimulating the Namek's core, which was responding fantastically to the hurried courtship, already sopping wet and anticipating of its lover.

"Gods, you smell so divine, Piccolo-san…!"

"Nnngghh!" The Namek nearly choked on his saliva as he was engulfed whole and slobbered with gusto. It did feel like his lover was actually trying to eat him… He was being sucked -and fast- into that inebriated state of dulled arousal, momentarily distracted when Gohan rather aggressively wrestled with his slacks which were still clinging stubbornly to his ankles.

"D-don't rip it!"

"Sorry, love!"

Piccolo made magic look easy but even a simple spell like conjuring clothes was a delicate process that required a significant amount of life energy. Said life energy or "Ki" was something sex always drained him of, and he usually didn't have enough sense or power left in him after their avid "sessions".

"Magic it off, hurry, please?" came his demi-Saiyajin lover's urgent plea.

Piccolo's face collected into a pout but nevertheless, he obliged, knowing he'd never win this battle; giving in was always the more beneficial option (for both of them)… At least his lover still had the propriety to say 'please'.

Gohan pressed Piccolo's legs apart and was all over him all at once: hands kneading, tongue poking and twirling, lips smacking, and teeth scraping- biting just enough to make his husband groan. Gohan eventually let his hands do all the work as his eyes feasted on his Namekian lover's face-a breath-taking picture of pained pleasure and delightfully purple-scorched cheeks; ears indulging greedily in the reticent grunts and sobs that were being forced from parted shiny purplish-green lips. Fingers grazed teasingly over his Namekian mate's tight abdomen, tracing patterns up and down elegantly muscled arms; strong calloused hands fondled heaving pectoral muscles, and hungry lips soon slid over one erect antennae to another, sucking on it fervently and liberally coating the sensitive organ with his own hot fluids. All the while, his hardness had been rimming the quivering and thoroughly moist entrance to that heavenly body.

The half-breed _was_ an unmerciful lover.

"Ungghh, aaahh, G-G-Gohaannn! N-No more…!"

Already, Piccolo's vision was burning white at the edges. His legs spread itself wider of its own accord, desperately inviting his lover to plunder—and fast; the sounds being elicited from him steadily increasing in volume and intensity.

"Gods, Piccolo-san! I need you so much right now!"

"Y-you don't- nngg- say?! Nnnn-aauuuhh!" Piccolo's weak sneer turned into a whimper as Gohan returned abruptly to his now swollen node, stroking with both fingers and soon lightly biting it before nudging it repeatedly with his tongue.

"Ahh, G-Gohan! P-please, I c-can't—anymo-uuhhh!"

Gohan takes his time sucking on Piccolo's fast-blossoming male organ until it was a solid shaft proudly projected out in the open, stopping only right before he could ejaculate, then lifting his head to meet dazed blue orbs from between trembling thighs.

"Nnn!" Piccolo bit back a gasp as he watched and _felt_ Gohan's finger dip into his throbbing opening and steadily sink all the way in, remaining inside him for a few torturously teasing moments… before gently extracting itself. He blushed furiously as the boy stared entranced at the said finger which was now dribbling with copious amounts of his natural lubrication.

"I think you're ready now," Gohan breathed out, cheeks heavily tinted, an elusive smile playing at the corner of shiny red lips. Gently, he inched up to kiss his flustered Namek's nose and murmur endearments as he positioned himself to take his lover.

After spending what Piccolo considered a little bit too much time turning on all his switches (if there was anything Gohan loved more than the main event, it was duteous foreplay), finally, the entire bulbous tip of his lover's massive length forced its way through and sheathed itself inside him in one firm push. A curse or two slips from his lips as his hips buck and shake involuntarily. Even after countless times, his lover's girth never got any less formidable.

Gohan winced, pausing for a couple of breaths to keep from finishing right then and there as he felt his husband's delicious resistance crushing down all around him; waiting for his beloved to adjust. Mindless grunts, groans, and incoherent fragments of each other's name filled the spaces between them, as with practised timing, Gohan worked his fingers around Piccolo's own pulsating –now fully erect- length and stroked it, gently at first, while building his penetration into rhythmic thrusts. By the time he had buried himself all the way to the hilt, they were gasping for breath, bodies steaming and glazed in sweat.

"You promised me we could have another baby…" Gohan susurrated in the Namek's ear.

When Piccolo didn't offer any reply, he pulled out and swiftly pushed in again, slamming directly into the Namek's sweet spot, making the said Namek's eyes scrunch closed and his mouth open in a breathless quivering gasp.

"Let me know if you're pregnant yet," Gohan rasped, then repeated his actions.

This time, a long-drawn guttural moan is wrenched from his beloved; and he decided that he wanted to hear it again. And again. Much louder. Preferably until Piccolo was begging him -in that sexy bedroom voice of his- to stop. But of course, he wouldn't.

Without significant pause this time, Gohan pulled out and pushed in, working up a pace until he was pistoning into his lover's body with ruthless speed and force. And so far, his mate was delivering superbly.

Piccolo no longer remembered how to form words; his acute ears no longer heard the loud needy moans that left his lips. All he heard was his flesh being penetrated and expanded; all he knew was the teeth-chattering friction and the feeling of being filled to satisfaction-over and over again. Stars danced beneath the veil of his eyelids, each tiny spark got bigger and brighter as his lover drove him to the brink of mind-numbing euphoric release.

Lustrous green flames blazed in Gohan's eyes as it vigilantly watched his Namek's face. Talons digging more securely into his back told him that Piccolo was very near, which made him drive harder and deeper and faster, ascending into Super Saiyajin at the last moment, making Piccolo howl at the burst of pain from the added girth, length, and power his body was being forced to receive; half-mewling and growling as Gohan's hands accordingly quickened its pumping around his highly sensitized throbbing shaft. Then everything was short-circuiting, imploding and exploding all at once-as he finally peaked, all senses overloading and erupting in blast after blast of blinding bliss, his body shook and convulsed violently as it rode out the climax until he was reduced to jerking tremors and whimpering. Gohan deliberately held out as long as he could, unceasing in his actions to prolong his mate's orgasm until he finally reached his own threshold, anchoring onto his Namekian lover's sculpted hips to impale himself even deeper and remain there as he emptied himself completely, thoroughly lathering his mate's spasming inner walls to overflowing.

Piccolo was already slipping into unconsciousness moments later when Gohan disengaged from him and –being the attentive lover that he is- attended to the last of his needs; making sure his semi-engorged male organ was sucked to completion as well, after which, he used that accursedly skilled mouth and tongue of his to nurse his female part until it was calmed and clean. He must've dozed off a few minutes because he awoke to Gohan's gentle and somewhat apologetic kisses, already partially dressed.

"I'm so sorry, Piccolo-san."

Piccolo grunted as he struggled to open his eyes.

"I know it's my fault you're tired, and I should let you sleep but… you'll be late for your afternoon class if I don't wake you now."

Sheepishly, Gohan kissed him on the mouth again, this time orally transferring a _senzu_ bean. Piccolo grudgingly chewed on it, a reprimanding look on his face. Gohan ducked his head, lowering himself to meekly meet his love's glower from underneath long lashes. It was almost black magic how the eighteen-year-old could look like five years old all over again when he was trying to wheedle out of a situation.

"There's an abundance of _senzu_ since there hasn't been a threat in a while, so I kind of bribed Karin to give me some." Gohan held up a pouch, tittering coyly as he scooped up a few and dropped it into his Namek's breast pocket. "You'll need your strength for tonight."

Piccolo bared his teeth. "And you told him it was for sex?"

"No! Err, of course not!" Gohan forced a hollow laugh. "I told him we needed it for… err, ' _training'._ "

Piccolo's eyes narrowed to slits.

"It's not exactly a lie!"

The Namek only growled as he beamed back the rest of his clothes, adjusting his muffler to hide the fresh bite marks and hickeys on his neck.

"Why don't you heal them right away?" Gohan asked innocently.

"Because I don't want to," Piccolo replied simply, still with a scowl, but there was a secret smile there. Gohan released his Super Saiyajin form; his rumpled suit and askew hair were mended with a flick of his lover's wrist.

The half-breed then hugged Piccolo's neck and kissed his cheek, "Thank you! I love you, Piccolo-san!" Then added in a sensual tone, "I promise, I'll let you take charge later, for a change."

"How much sex do you need until you're sated?"

"This is normal, remember? According to Vegeta-san, you're actually doing the entire planet a favour, you know? Keeping me from blowing it up by absorbing all my excess energy and whatnot."

"I don't remember him saying anything like that."

The next instant, they were back in school inside Piccolo's cubicle office. Gohan pulled him aside to a private corner to bend down and lean against Piccolo's flat stomach, giving it an affectionate rub, to which the Namek was unprepared for. Then Gohan flashed him a grin, "Are you—"

"I don't know…!" Piccolo hissed. Then muttered, "No… not yet." His cheeks bursting into purple bonfires.

"I want a boy this time, okay?" Before Piccolo could retort, Gohan arrested his lips one last time, mumbling a somewhat forlorn, 'later' before he finally exited.

The Earth-born Namek sighed again.

He stared at all his unfinished paperwork as the end of lunch bell rang out. After several carefully timed breaths, he managed to channel enough healing just to ease his aching core and quaking thighs before heading to his respective class.

Of course, it was never enough. His whole body was still wildly thrumming with sexual energy, heavily intoxicated in the afterglow and tingling with tiny electric shocks.

If he were to be honest with himself…

…He couldn't wait for school that day to be over.

 **End. (Not.)**


End file.
